No Amount Of Alcohol Is Safe During Pregnancy, Study Finds

CBS Local — A new study is warning expecting mothers about the dangers of alcohol during their pregnancies. According to the research, there’s no amount of drinking that should be considered safe while pregnant.

A team from Binghamton University in New York says that even a small amount of alcohol consumed during pregnancy can result in the child suffering from high levels of anxiety after birth. “There’s been a lot of media coverage on whether there’s a safe amount of alcohol to drink. This study shows that there isn’t,” psychology professor Marvin Diaz said in the University’s press release.

The study examined pregnant rats after exposing them to alcohol vapors one time for a six-hour period. The results reportedly found that the rats’ offspring, especially males, showed signs of anxiety disorders after reaching adolescence. “The most important takeaway from this study is that the effects we studied on the rats only took one day of exposure to produce–just six hours,” Diaz added.

The CDC has echoed the study’s warning, stating that there’s no recommended amount of alcohol to have while pregnant or while trying to get pregnant. The organization adds that since blood travels from the mother to the child during pregnancy, drinking alcohol can cause devastating side-effects such as miscarriages, stillbirth, or physical and behavioral disabilities.